LBSU Women's Basketball Hosts Hawai'i, Takes on UC Irvine on the Road

Thursday, January 23

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Hawai'i

Photo by: John Fajardo

LBSU Women's Basketball Hosts Hawai'i, Takes on UC Irvine on the Road

1/22/2020 11:24:00 AM | Women's Basketball

The Beach and the Rainbow Wahine go head-to-head Thursday evening at the Pyramid, the LBSU plays at UC Irvine in the Black & Blue Rivalry series

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

Game #18
Long Beach State vs. Hawai'i
Date: Thursday, Jan. 23
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Listen: 22WestMedia.com
Talent: Nick Rice
Watch: Beach Vision
Twitter: @BeachWBB

Game #19
Long Beach State at UC Irvine
Date: Saturday, Jan. 25
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Arena: Bren Events Center
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Live Stats: UCIrvineSports.com
Listen: 22WestMedia.com
Watch: ESPN3
Talent: Rahshaun Haylock & Bill Herenda
Twitter: @BeachWBB

Complete LBSU Notes (PDF)

LBSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOST HAWAII, TAKES ON UC IRVINE ON THE ROAD
The Long Beach State women's basketball team gears up for another week of Big West Conference action as the Beach host Hawaii on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. Following that contest, LBSU will take on UC Irvine on the road at the Bren Events Center for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 25. The game at UCI will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Rahshaun Haylock and Bill Herenda on the call.

GETTING SOCIAL
Follow Long Beach State women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @BeachWBB. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics on Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.

ABOUT THE BEACH
• Long Beach State brings a 7-10 overall record into the week to go along with a 2-2 Big West Conference mark.
• The Beach went 1-1 last week with a tough loss at UC Davis in which LBSU came up just short in a 57-55 contest. Following that game, Long Beach State host CSUN and handed the Matadors their first conference loss in a 60-52 victory.
• LBSU is averaging 59.8 points per game as the Beach have connected on 379-of-1,001 field goals for a shooting percentage of 37.8.
• As a team, Long Beach State is averaging 30.7 rebounds per game to go along with 11.3 assists per game, 10.5 steals per game, and 2.2 blocks per game.
• LBSU leads the Big West in steals per game (10.5) and turnover margin (+7.4) as the Beach have forced their opponents into more than 350 turnovers this season.
• Junior guard Shanaijah Davison leads the team with 14.2 points per game, while sophomore Justina King contributes 13.2 points per game, and redshirt Ma'Qhi Berry adds 9.8 points per game.
• Davison became the 26th LBSU women's basketball player to eclipse 1,000 career points when she posted a 19-point showing against Cal Poly. Davison is now at 1,061 in her career which ranks her 24th all-time at Long Beach State.
• Cydnee Kinslow is the team's leading rebounder with 6.1 boards per game. She has racked up four double-figure rebounding games so far and has led the squad in boards on nine occasions.
• Ma'Qhi Berry leads the Beach with 43 steals to average 2.5 per game which is tops in the Big West. She leads a trio of LBSU players who rank in the top 15 in the league.
• King is the Beach's leader in assists with 57 to average 3.4 assists per game to rank ninth in the Big West.
• Lauren Green is the team's leader in blocks as the sophomore forward has put up nine on the year so far, while Kinslow and Jasmine Hardy right behind her with seven and six, respectively.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU basketball as the 49ers.

SCOUTING HAWAI'I
Hawaii brings an 8-9 overall record into the game against the Beach and holds a 2-2 mark in Big West Conference action.

The Rainbow Wahine have won their last two games with an 80-57 victory over UC Riverside and a 79-72 win against Cal State Fullerton. The pair of wins snapped a four-game losing streak which dated back to mid-December.

Julissa Tago is Hawaii's leading scorer as she averages 12.5 points per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds per game, 30 assists, four blocks, and four steals. Behind Tago is Amy Atwell whose 11.0 points per game are good for second on the squad.

The Rainbow Wahine are led by Myrrah Joseph and Atwell on boards. Joseph leads the team with 75 total rebounds (5.0 rpg), while Atwell leads the squad with 5.1 rebounds per game after totaling 71 boards on the year.

Nae Nae Calhoun has dished out a team-best 55 assists this season, while also contributing 5.1 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, as well as a team-leading 20 steals.

Lauren Rewers has posted 12 blocks on the year to set the tone for the Rainbow Wahine, while adding 6.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, five assists, and five steals.

THE SERIES: THE BEACH VS. THE RAINBOW WAHINE
In a series that dates back to 1986, Hawai'i holds a slight edge over Long Beach State in the all-time series with a 20-19 record. The Rainbow Wahine defeated the Beach in Honolulu last season by a score of 63-49. However, Long Beach State emerged victorious when hosting Hawai'i at the Walter Pyramid as the Beach picked up a 56-40 win just a week earlier.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
UC Irvine enters the week with a 5-12 overall record and a 1-2 Big West Conference ledger.

The Anteaters are coming off of a 68-57 road win at Cal Poly to give UCI its first conference win of the season. Prior to that, UC Irvine dropped a pair of contests to CSUN (70-62) and UC Santa Barbara (65-61).

UCI has a pair of players who average double-figures in Jordan Sanders (13.6 ppg) and Lauren Saiki (11.6 ppg). Sanders also leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game, while adding 12 blocks, six steals, and three assists.

Saiki, meanwhile, is the team's leader in assists with 118, while coming in second on the team with 24 steals. She also averages 2.8 rebounds per game, while adding four blocks.

The Anteaters have three players who lead the way in blocks. Alexus Seaton, Sophia Locandro, and Tahlia Garza each have posted 13 as the trio contributes to more than 50 percent of UCI's total blocks.

THE SERIES: THE BEACH VS. THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine and Long Beach State will square off for the 75th time in program history. The Beach hold a 58-16 record over the Anteaters. However, UCI swept the series last year defeating LBSU 48-46 in Long Beach and 65-60 in Irvine.

LAST TIME OUT
The Long Beach State women's basketball team came out firing on Saturday afternoon as the Beach handed CSUN its first Big West Conference loss of the season en route to LBSU claiming a 60-52 victory.

Long Beach State (7-10, 2-2 Big West) shot 42.9 percent in the game and received solid performances from Justina King and Ma'Qhi Berry as CSUN (8-10, 3-1 Big West) was forced into 23 turnovers.

King led the offensive charge with 23 points in the game, while Berry turned in an all-around solid performance finishing the game with 11 points, six assists, five rebounds, and four steals.

The Beach led by as many as 23 points in the game (53-30) with 7:57 remaining in the game before the Matadors whittled the host's lead down to eight to end the night.

The game was close early on as LBSU went up 9-4, before CSUN used a 7-0 run to take an 11-9 edge with 3:08 on the clock in the first quarter. That would be the Matadors last lead of the game as the Beach got a layup from Aaryon Green with 1:37 on the clock to even the score, before Cydnee Kinslow knocked down both free throws to give Long Beach State a 13-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

CSUN managed to even the score twice more to start the second quarter, but the Beach quickly regained the lead thanks to a pair of made free throws by King with 7:26 on the clock to give Long Beach State a lead it would not relinquish. From there, the Beach extended its lead up to 10 (28-18) at halftime as Berry sunk a jumper at the buzzer.

The break in action did little to stop the Beach. Long Beach State used a 9-0 run in the third quarter, with seven of those points coming from King, to push its lead up to 19 (46-27), before taking a 46-29 lead into the final 10 minutes of action.

Berry kicked off the fourth quarter with a three to jump start a 7-1 run that saw Long Beach State lead by as many as 23 points (53-30) with 7:57 left in the game. Despite the difference, CSUN would not go away. The Matadors chipped away at Long Beach State's lead and cut it down to single-digits (60-52) by the end of the game.

CSUN was led by De'Jionae Calloway's 16-point performance, while she added eight boards, four assists and four steals. Jordyn Jackson contributed 13 points, while Deja Williams registered 11 to go along with five steals. Lauren Shymkewicz and Eliza Matthews led the Matadors with nine rebounds each.

OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
The Beach are averaging nearly 60 points per game and are led offensively by Shanaijah Davison (14.2 ppg), Justina King (13.2 ppg), and Ma'Qhi Berry (9.8 ppg). The trio have contributed to 60 percent of Long Beach State's points this season with each player having at least one 20-plus point game this season. King leads the way with four 20-plus point performances, while Davison has racked up three, and Berry has turned in two. One of the three has led the Beach in scoring in 13 of the team's 17 games this season.

DEFENSIVELY STRONG
LBSU has been defensively sound this season as the Beach lead the Big West in steals with 178 to average 10.5 per game. LBSU has forced more than 350 turnovers (21.1 per game) as the team boasts a turnover margin of +7.4 to lead the conference. Leading the Beach defensive efforts is Ma'Qhi Berry who leads the Big West in steals with 43 to average 2.5 per game. The Beach have three players rank in the top 15 in steals per game as Justina King (1.8 spg) and Shanaijah Davison (1.3 spg) are ranked fifth and 11th, respectively.

A GRAND TIME
Junior guard Shanaijah Davison became the 26th LBSU women's basketball player to record 1,000 points in her career. Davison reached the milestone when she recorded 19 points in a 72-69 victory over Cal Poly to open Big West Conference action. She has now amassed 1,061 points in her career to rank 24th all-time at the Beach. She is just seven points shy of taking 23rd and 12 away from tying LBSU all-time great Penny Moore.

CLEANING UP THE GLASS
Senior forward Cydnee Kinslow is leading the rebounding charge for Long Beach State. She has grabbed double-digit boards in four of the Beach's games so far to average 6.1 rebounds per game to rank in the top 10 in the Big West. The Oakley, Calif., native has done a solid job cleaning up the glass as she collected 11 rebounds at California Baptist in the season opener, then turned around and registered 11 boards at then-No. 11 UCLA. She set a new career-high with 12 rebounds against Utah State en route to a double-double as she added 13 points. Kinslow notched her second double-double of the season at Cal State Fullerton when she racked up a career-high 16 points to go along with a team-leading 10 boards.

KING IS QUEEN
Sophomore guard Justina King has dished out 57 assists this season to set the pace for LBSU. Her 3.4 assists per game rank her in the top 10 in the Big West. Additionally, King is second on the team with 13.2 points per game which is good for 10th in the conference.

BERRY GOOD
Redshirt sophomore Ma'Qhi Berry is averaging 9.8 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds per game, while adding a team-leading 43 steals, and 45 assists. She racked up a career-high 24 points against Cal Poly in the Big West Conference opener.

GREEN MACHINES
Long Beach State's Lauren Green and Aaryon Green are not related, but both give the Beach solid play when on the court. Lauren Green is a sophomore forward from Tucson, Ariz., while Aaryon Green is a redshirt senior out of Rialto, Calif. Lauren has started in 10-of-17 games so far and leads the team with nine blocks, while adding 3.8 rebounds per game, 3.8 points per game, and 16 steals. Meanwhile, Aaryon has earned 10 starts thus far and has registered 3.6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, 15 steals, nine assists, and six blocks.

UP NEXT
Long Beach State continues Big West Conference action when it hosts UC Riverside on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The Beach will then take on Hawaii in Honolulu on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8:30 p.m. (PT).